XXX. 



Conditioning a Hunter. "I shall take the case of a horse 

 that you have bought with the idea of using him for hunt- 

 ing. He is trained, has been worked and comes from a 

 dealer or any other similar source. His conformation ap- 

 pears good to you from the standpoint of service and his 

 gaits are natural. He is in good condition, fat. It is spring 

 or summer, June, let us suppose. You wish to condition 

 your horse for the hunting season. What will you do? 



"First, run your hand all over your horse, but mainly 

 over the body, and pay special attention to the croup and 

 neck. If you find the flesh soft and yielding under the fin- 

 gers, the legs rather round and pasty, have your horse sad- 

 dled, mount him and ride him into a ploughed field or upon 

 a road deep with sand. Put your horse into a slow gal- 

 lop, keeping him well in hand; make him work his hind 

 quarters and bend his neck a little. The horse immediately 

 begins to blow and in a moment is dripping wet. The sweat 

 is white, and resembles soap suds. Do not go any further; 

 your horse is not in condition, and you must require noth- 

 ing further of him for the present. Take him quietly back 

 to the stable and for two days put him on bran mash and 

 diet, and on the third day give him a purge. Do not be 

 afraid that I am going to overdo this last. Perhaps, if your 

 horse is too fat, too heavy, I will allow you one more at the 

 end of August, but that is all. For in sane hygiene, you 

 should avoid the pit into which many hunting horses in 

 England fall, the destruction of the stomach and intestines 

 by an excess of purges and of drugs intended to give an 

 appetite. Moreover, in France our hunters must be in much 

 finer condition than in England. They are not required to 

 do the same kind of work. A hunter in England must with- 

 stand two hours of fast gait and constant effort. The hunter 

 in France is generally required to withstand eight or ten 



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